While cleaning up my kitchen from a family Easter party, the leftovers were talking to me. Specifically, a delicious cake in the shape of an Easter Egg that a guest had brought from a local eatery called Wagshal’s. I couldn’t resist and as I stood there with a fork in hand pushing away the icing and eating only the cake, I knew that this was not a good thing to be doing. But I didn’t care.
I was feeling stressed and I wanted immediate relief. And I got it. After about four or five bites, I got mad at myself and then threw the rest of the cake in the trash can and then threw trash on top of it right away.
I’m telling you about this because the old me would have said, “Well you started the day out really bad so you might as well continue to indulge for the rest of the day.” I would have said that’s it and made no effort to turn the day around and get back on a better track.
But yesterday I didn’t beat myself up about the cake and continued to work through the stuff I had to do. It was a glorious warm day and I needed to get some fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin after working through the mess in my house. I put on my running shoes, grabbed my iPod and went out the door.
Oh my goodness! Being outside without a coat and gloves, hat or boots was exhilarating! Being close to nature and alternately running and walking in the sun gave me the boost of energy I needed.
Neighbors were out working in their yards and I also spent time talking to them and catching up on how they were doing and what was going on in their lives.
The take away message for me was that yes indulging in the cake was definitely not a healthy thing to do but that was the end of it. I had eaten the cake, there was no undoing it, but I decided to go on to something better, something healthier: a brisk walk and some socialization.
When we’re under stress, we tend to abandon our healthy habits but most times it’s just a temporary shift.
I do try to take good care of myself and I know you do too. Sometimes that care involves giving ourselves a healing break.
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